PLAN GOAL PLAN | Goals, Transformation for Women, Mindful Time Management, Balance, Working Moms

Last month, we explored play. This month, we're slowing down to explore something just as important, but often misunderstood: rest. Because here's the thing. You can get eight hours of sleep, take a vacation, or spend an entire weekend "doing nothing" and still feel completely exhausted. So what if the problem isn't that you need more rest? What if you need a different kind? In this episode, I'm u...

July has a way of disappearing before we even realize it's begun. So instead of filling your calendar with more goals, more pressure, and more things to keep up with, what if you designed a month that actually felt like you? In this episode, I'm sharing a simple framework to help you reset for July with just three intentional practices—one for your health, one for your wealth, and one for your rel...

Play sounds fun in theory. But in practice? Play asks us to risk looking foolish. It asks us to try something we're not good at, let go of control, and show parts of ourselves that don't always fit neatly into the roles we've built our lives around. In this episode, Ryan and I are talking about the vulnerability hidden inside play and why it can feel surprisingly difficult, especially for people w...

This month we're talking about creativity and play, and today's conversation completely changed the way I think about both. I'm joined by Tasha Golden. She is a former touring songwriter turned public health researcher whose work explores how creativity shapes our wellbeing, identity, and ability to navigate change. What started as a conversation about creativity quickly became a conversation abou...

Last week, we talked about whether play can be productive. This week, we're digging into different questions: If play is important... why is it so hard to actually let ourselves do it? Why does rest feel uncomfortable? Why does fun feel like something we have to earn? And why do so many high-achieving women find themselves waiting for permission to stop, even when no one is asking them to keep goi...

This month on Plan Goal Plan, we’re talking about play, and honestly, I think a lot of us have forgotten how to do it. Somewhere along the way, many high-achieving women learned that if something is serious, meaningful, or important… play has no business being there. That joy is earned. That rest has to be justified. That fun should come after the work is done. But what if play isn’t the opposite...

Focus isn’t something you force. It’s something you create space for. In this episode, I’m sitting down with Tracy Hoth to talk about why so many smart, capable women feel mentally scattered… and how organization can actually help us reclaim our attention, energy, and peace. And this conversation goes way deeper than bins and labels. We talk about: the connection between clutter and mental load wh...

Perfectionism is loud. Invisible labor is constant. And focus can feel impossible when you’re carrying it all. In this episode, I’m sitting down with Monica Packer—host of About Progress, certified habits and identity coach, and author of the upcoming book Sticky Habits—to talk about what it really looks like to build habits that support women’s lives instead of working against them. Monica shares...

This month on Plan Goal Plan, we’re talking about focus and today, I’ve got something a little different for you. Ryan’s back on the podcast, and we’re playing a game: agree, disagree, or complicate. Together, we’re digging into some of the biggest assumptions we make about focus, productivity, distraction, and deep work… and let’s just say we complicated almost all of them. We get into: whether f...

You’ve tried the systems. You’ve tried the routines. And somehow… you’re still drifting. In this episode, I’m naming exactly why—so you can stop blaming yourself and start doing something that actually works. Because if you can’t focus right now, it might not be a discipline problem. It might be a meaning problem. We’re kicking off our May focus theme by digging into what’s really underneath distr...

There’s a moment I see over and over again in my clients, students, and honestly, in myself too. It’s that feeling of standing in the middle of something that’s already shifting and not knowing if you’re supposed to hold steady or move forward. And here’s the thing most of us don’t realize: Those are two completely different skills. In this episode, I’m wrapping up our month on change by sharing a...

Okay… let’s talk about that quiet feeling that something needs to change. In this episode, I’m sitting down with Michelle Schafer, and we’re diving into what it actually looks like to navigate change, especially when it’s unexpected. And maybe it’s just the season we’re in… but spring has a way of making us pause and ask: is this still right for me? Because whether you’re feeling stuck, burnt out,...

Okay… this conversation is one of those that just stays with you. In this episode, I’m sitting down with Dr. Daniel Zinnel, and we’re diving into something I know so many of us wrestle with—why change can feel so hard… even when we really want it. Because here’s the thing… we’ve been taught that change comes from trying harder, being more disciplined, or just getting more motivated. But what if th...

Y’all… if you’ve ever set a goal and thought, “Why isn’t this actually changing anything?” This episode is going to hit a little different. Today, I’m joined by my husband (and favorite conversation partner), and we’re diving into something I don’t think we talk about enough in the goal-setting space: What if the way we think about change is incomplete? We’re bringing in insights from communicatio...

Y’all… I think we’ve been taught to think about change completely backwards. For most of my life, change has felt like a goal-setting problem. Like if we could just plan better, try harder, stay more consistent… we’d finally become the version of ourselves we’re working toward. But here’s what I’ve learned through my research and through coaching women pursuing bold goals: Change is not a producti...

If you’ve ever picked up your phone for “just a second”… and suddenly 45 minutes disappeared  — yeah, same. In this episode of Plan Goal Plan, I’m diving into something that completely stopped me in my tracks: “sh*tty flow.” It feels like focus. It looks like productivity. But it quietly pulls you away from your life instead of building it. I’m sharing a super real moment (hi, doom scrolling spira...

Mike Csikszentmihalyi discovered flow by asking a simple question: Why do some people bounce back from adversity while others don't? Gary and Deanne Gute work directly in his legacy, and they say there's a specific anatomy to flow that almost nobody talks about. Miss that piece, and no amount of productivity hacking will get you there. Where Flow Came From: In the late 60s and early 70s, Mike inte...

What if the secret to follow-through isn't discipline, but direction? I'm done with the myth that flow requires a perfect, uninterrupted day. That's not real life, especially if you're managing other people's schedules, making a million decisions, or juggling kids and work. So let's talk about building flow that actually works in messy, high-pressure lives. For years I tried to follow Cal Newport'...

What if the thing blocking your flow isn't lack of discipline, but it's lack of enjoyment? My husband, Ryan, and I sat down to talk about something that's been rattling around in my brain: why do some people experience flow for hours while others are grinding it out miserable? The answer? Enjoyment is actually a non-negotiable condition for flow, and yet we keep trying to brute-force our way throu...

What if the real problem isn't your willpower, but it's your environment? Your attention isn't failing you. It's under assault. Today, we break down the neuroscience of flow, reveal why availability is the enemy of focus, and I teach you the 4-Layer Attention Protection Pyramid and the Flow Gate ritual you can use today. Flow Basics Flow = deep engagement that feels intrinsically rewarding Needs t...

Does forgiveness mean you have to reconcile with the person who hurt you? NO. And that misconception keeps so many people stuck. In this episode, I'm joined by Dr. Suzanne Freedman, professor of human development at UNI and leading researcher on the psychology of forgiveness with over 30 years of experience. We're untangling what forgiveness actually is, why acknowledging anger isn't a failure of...

I grew up in Iowa where Mardi Gras wasn't really a thing. Then I moved to Baton Rouge for my PhD at LSU—and everything changed. In this episode I'm connecting my love of Mardi Gras, my research on the carnival, and our February theme of TRUST in the most delightfully nerdy way possible. Here's the question: What if chaos is actually a SIGN of trust? Here's what we're covering: Why carnival only wo...

Dr. Ryan McGeough is back! We're unpacking what happens when plans don't go as planned—and how that slowly erodes trust in ourselves, our follow-through, and even other people. Here's what we're covering: Why broken micro-commitments chip away at self-trust The difference between self-confidence (broad) and self-efficacy (skill-specific) Attribution theory: Do you blame yourself or circumstances w...

Can I really trust myself? Am I being too much? Not enough? What if they find out I'm just figuring it out as I go? If you've found yourself second-guessing, over-preparing (that's me!), or holding back just to feel safe—this episode is for you. We're digging into TRUST—the theme for February—and how women in high-pressure roles can rebuild it, starting with themselves. Here's what we're covering:...

So many women I work with don't struggle with having goals, but they struggle with having TOO many. And trying to carry them all at once, which makes this episode absolutely perfect. I'm sitting down with Dr. Ayelet Fishbach, one of the world's leading experts on motivation and decision-making (and author of Get It Done), to unpack what actually helps people follow through on meaningful goals, eve...